Device for feeding web material



Feb. 22, 1944. J. B. KOHLER 2,342,203

DEVICE FOR FEEDING WEB MATERIAL Filed April 17, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 &

1944. J. B. KOHLER DEVICE FOR FEEDING WEB MATERIAL Filed April 17, 19412 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invenor @7272 .Zii-fiokler". 5y 0m 76w:

Patented Feb. 22, 1944 UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE :onvroa ron. resumewnam'ranr'ar. John B. Kohier, Chicagoilll.

Application April 17, 1941,561'181 No. 389,001

3 Claims. (01. 91-18) This invention relates to devices for feeding webmaterial and has for its object to provide a.

new and improved device for this purpose.

In feeding web material to certain processing machines, such as waxingmachines, coating machines and rotogravure printing presses, it isdesirable that the machine be capable of operation while the web isthreaded through it, without having the web itself move, thus avoidingwaste material while the machine is being cleaned or while the wax,coating or ink is spread evenly on the cylinder from which it is appliedto the web of material, or while corrections are being made on thecylinder in connection withrotogravure printing. One of the objects ofthe present invention is to provide means for securing these results.

The invention has as a further object to provide means for feeding webmaterial to the ma-- chine with which it is used and controlling itstension. The inventionhas as a further object to provide means forfeeding web material to the machine with which it is used, so as to haveuniform. belt feed regardless of the diameter of the cylinder whichapplies material to the web.

The invention has other objects which will be more particularly pointedout in the accompanying description.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is adiagrammatic view illustrating one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail of the connection between the roll which engages theweb and its driving 7 shaft.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several figures.

The processing machines used in connection with the present inventionmay be of various types and I have illustrated a processing machinegenerally comprising a tank I and a cylinder or roll 2, mounted inposition to receive material from the tank I which isto be applied tothe web 3. In some instances there is a rubber covered roll 2ainterposed between the roll 2 and the web 3. This roll 2a may be omittedwhen desired.

There is a roller 4 which engages the web 3 and presses it toward theroll 2a and the roll 2, so that the material on the roll 2 will betransferred to the web either directly or through the roll 2a. The web 3as herein shown is yvound in the form of a roll 5 which is preferablymounted upon a reel 6 having a plurality of arms 1. The web 3 afterleaving the roll 5 passes over the rolls III, II, l2 and I3 and thenceover the roller 4, or roll 2a, where the material from the roll 2 istransferred to it. The delivery of the web from the roll 5 or from anyroll on the reel, is controlled by a belt I 4 which passes aroundpulleys I5 and I6, and thence around a pulley II, which by the pressuremeans is automatically adjusts the pulley I! to maintain a constantpressure of the belt I 4 against the roll 5 as it decreases because ofthe unwinding of the web 3. The belt then passes around the drivingpulley I3 and the direction changing pulley 20. I have 11'' lustratedone belt in the-drawings, but there will generally be a plurality ofsimilar belts engaging the roll, the number depending upon the width ofthe roll.

The web 3 is pressed against the roll 2a, or the roll 2 when the roll 2ais omitted, by the roller 4. This roller drives the shaft 2| through theagency of the beveled gears 22 and 22a. This driving connection is suchthat the roller 4 may be moved away from the roll 2 so as to separatethe web 3 therefrom, as will be hereinafter explained. The shaft 2|drives the shaft 23 through the beveled gears 24. The shaft 23 throughthe beveled gears 25 drives the shaft 26 of the belt driving pulley l9.I

It will thus be seen that the belt l4 which controls the web 3 andregulates its speed is driven by means of the contact of roller 4 withroll 2, either directly or through the roll 2a and that when the roller4, or when roll 2a is used, the roll 2a, is mov'ed out of contact withroll 2, the web is moved out of contact with the roll 2 and movement ofthe web ceases.

Any suitable means may be used for moving the roller 4 so as to stop themovement of the web 3. In view of the fact that the roller 4 has a geardriving connection 22 and 22a with the shaft 2|, I have shown aconstruction where the gear 22 is connected with the shaft 2| by aspline 28 and is slidable on this shaft. It is connected to the shaft ofroller 4 by the member 29. I prefer to provide the roll 2a preferably ofrubber, or covered with rubber or other similar material, between theroller 4 and the roll 2 and around which the web 3 passes. With thisconstruction the roll 2a is connected to the roller 4 so that they maybe moved together away from the roll 2 so that the web 3 will be out ofcontact with the driving roll 2 and cease to move. Any suitable meansfor accomplishing this result may be used.. I have shown a simpleconstruction for this purpose wherein the roller 4 and the roll 2a aremoved by means of an air cylinder 33 provided with a piston 3|, the aircylinder being preferably connected to the same air system used inconnection with the pressure means It. Air is supplied to the pressuremeans l8 by the supply pipe 33 and there are connecting pipes 34 and 35connected with the cylinder 30 on opposite sides of the piston 3|. Thereis a four-way valve 32 arranged to control the pipes 34 and 35. There isan exhaust pipe 31 through which the air from the cyldriven from thesurface of the roll and therefore always takes on substantially thissurface speed, regardless of the size or diameter of the roll.

inder may be exhausted on one side of the piston,

so that the pressure on the other side will move the piston. Connectedwith the piston is a lever 33 which is pivotally connected by a looseconnection with the member 29 which slides on the shaft 2|. The lever 38at its other end is connected to any fixed point.

When it is desired to bring the web 3 into contact with the roll 2, thevalve 32 is manipulated so that the piston 3| is brought to the lowerend of the cylinder. roller 4 and roll 2a downwardly so as to move theweb 3 passing around roll 2a into intimate contact with the roll 2, bymeans of which it is driven. There is preferably a loose connectionbetween the shafts of roller 4 and roll 2a, which is herein shown as alink connection 362:, see Fig. 2. When it is desired to stop themovementof the web 3 the valve 32 is manipulated so that the piston 3|is moved toward the upper end of the cylinder 30. This causes the lever38 to lift the roller 4 and roll 2a so as to move the web 3 out ofcontact with the roll 2 which is driving it and thus stop the motion ofthe web 3. Any slack in the web 3 is taken up by the spring 38associated with the roll II. In all of these positions the gears 22 and22a remain in engagement. When the web 3 is out of contact with the roll2 the movement of the shaft 2| and associated parts is stopped. When theweb 3 is moved into contact with the roll 2 the shafts 2|, 23 and 26 arerotated so as to rotate the belt I4 and this causes the roll 5 to berotated to unwind the web 3, the web having transferred to it the ink orcolor or other material applied to the roll 2. I have shown the web 3 asbein below the roll 2a, but it might pass above this roll and between itand the roller 4, the ink or other material being transferred to it fromthe roll 2 by the roll 2a.

The roll 2 is driven in any desired manner, as by means of the shaft-39.In printing presses and the like this shaft 39 is preferably driven fromthe press shaft. It will be seen that in this construction the web 3 isnot driven by the press shaft, that is, by a shaft drive, but is drivenby a surface drive, that is, the surface of the roll 2, so that the webis always properly driven at the proper speed regardless of thevariation in size or diameter of the roll 2. It will thus be seen thatas this roll changes in diameter nothing further need be done to securethe proper speed of the web, for it is automatically taken care of bythe fact that the web is The lever 38 then moves the In order to bringout the essential features of the device I have omitted the frame forholding the bearings for the different shafts and supporting thedifferent parts, showing the essential elements in an more or lessdiagrammatic form so that their construction and operation may be easilyunderstood.

' I claim:

1. A device for feeding a web of material, comprising a roll upon whichthe web is wound, means for mounting the roll for free rotation, anendless belt, with a portion in movable relation with the web on theroll, belt mounting means for said belt, a rotating coating roll, meansto drive same, pressure roll means adjacent the coating roll, betweenwhich and the coating roll, the web is designed to pass, driving meansto transmit power between the pressure roll means and the belt mountingmeans to im-- part motion to the belt, and means to adjust the pressureroll means toward and away from the coating roll, so as to provide powertransmission between the coating roll and the pressure roll when thepressure between the coating roll and the pressure roll means is presentand to discontinue power transmission when the pressure roll means isretracted from the coating roll.

2. A device for feeding a web of material'comprising a roll upon whichthe web is wound, means for mounting the roll for free rotation, an

,endless belt with a portion in movable relation with the web on theroll, belt mounting means for said belt, a rotating coating roll, meansto drive the same, pressure roll means adjacent to the coating roll,between which and the coating roll the web is designed to pass, drivingmeans to transmit power between the pressure roll means and the beltmounting means, to impart motion to the belt and means for stopping themovement of the web and the driving means for the belt while the coatingroll is maintained in motion.

3. A device for feeding a web of material comprising a roll upon whichthe web is wound, means for mounting the roll for free rotation, anendless belt with a portion in movable relation with the web on theroll, belt mounting means for said belt, a rotating coating roll, meansto drive same, pressure roll means adjacent the coating roll betweenwhich andthe coating roll the web is designed to pass, a vertical shaftwith which the pressure roll means is rotatably and slidably connected,means controlled from a distance for sliding said pressure roll meansalong said vertical shaft to disconnect it from the coating roll, adriving connection between said vertical shaft and the belt mountingmeans to impart motion to the belt.

JOHN B. KOHLER.

